Number of children per woman in Switzerland at an all-time low
Published: Thursday, Jun 20th 2024, 11:30
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The number of children per woman in Switzerland reached an all-time low in 2023. At 1.33 children, it was below the 2022 level of 1.39 children. A total of 80,000 children were born, 2.8% fewer than in the previous year. The decline in births was among Swiss and foreign mothers.
However, at 4.2 percent, this was higher among Swiss women than among foreign women (-0.8 percent), as the Federal Statistical Office (FSO) announced on Thursday with regard to the definitive figures of its population statistics published in April.
A total of 56,100 children of Swiss nationality were born, and 23,900 of foreign nationality. Overall, 2,300 fewer babies were born last year than in the previous year. This confirmed the downward trend since 2021. In 2022, however, the decline was much greater at 7300 babies or 8.1 percent.
At 5.1%, the decline in births in 2023 was more pronounced for women under 30 than for those over 30 (-2.1%). First births fell by 4.3% in the younger age category and by 1.7% in those aged between 30 and 39. Among women over 40, however, they increased by 3.2 percent. The average age of first-time mothers rose slightly from 31.2 years in 2022 to 31.3 years.
The number of second births fell by 2.8% in 2023. The number of third births fell the most by 7.3%. The downward trend for third children was observed in all age categories, but was strongest among mothers aged 30 to 39. In contrast, the number of births of fourth children rose slightly by 1.9% compared to the previous year.
©Keystone/SDA
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